Hoyer: Every American Will be Adversely Affected by Republicans' Budget Resolution

“Every American will be affected by this vote. Not just the 20 million people who will lose their insurance immediately, 30 million total lose their insurance. Everybody’s premiums will ultimately go up; [coverage for] pre-existing conditions will not be available; seniors will pay more for prescription drugs; 25, 24, 23, etc. will be dropped from the insurance of their families.

“The fact of the matter is, the gentleman from Florida that just spoke, there is not a better way that has been proposed. Some discussion about across state lines, some other discussion about health savings accounts. Which is great if you have the kind of salaries we have, but if you are an average American trying to support your family, getting additional funds to put into a health savings account are not available to you.

“Mr. Speaker, this budget resolution is an abdication of responsibility and duty.

“Rather than showing Republicans’ spending and revenue priorities, it is nothing more than a vehicle for expediting a repeal of the Affordable Care Act and taking insurance coverage away from 30 million people. But again, let me remind you, it is hundreds of millions of people that will be adversely affected.

“Since taking the House majority, Republicans have held sixty-five votes on this Floor to undo health care reforms that have brought the uninsured rate to its lowest in recorded history, and banned discrimination and discriminatory practices such as denying coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions or charging women higher rates than men simply because of their gender.  

“Now, our Republican colleagues want to repeal the Affordable Care Act without immediately replacing it, contrary to at least twelve of their colleagues in the United States Senate – Republicans – saying that is not the right way to go.

“That’s what this resolution would do. By the way, they should have adopted this [budget] resolution last Congress by April 15. They didn’t do so, and this is not a real budget resolution. This is simply a device so that they can jam through repeal of the Affordable Care Act in the United States Senate, contrary to the existing rules.

“And it would come at a severe cost to our economy and our budget sustainability.

“In addition to the 30 million who would lose their insurance, tens of millions more, as I have said, would see their costs go up.

“A report by the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund and Milken Institute found that repeal would lead to the loss of three million jobs, and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found it would add $350 billion to deficits over the next ten years.

“Let us be clear, Mr. Speaker – a vote for this budget resolution is a vote to take health insurance away from 30 million Americans and adversely impact the health care of millions more.

“I urge my Republican colleagues who have serious concerns about our fiscal path and misgivings about repealing the Affordable Care Act without replacing it: let’s lay down a marker that Congress should not rush headlong into this costly repeal, not only in terms of dollars but in terms of health security consequences for the American people. 

“I urge the House to vote no on this dangerous and destructive resolution.”